Whew. I’m tired. The holidays are tiring. I hope you’re kicking back and relaxing today, and reading this from home. Perhaps you’re planning on doing some online shopping, or better yet – you’re planning for the New Year. Whatever you’ve decided to do, make sure you put “read this week’s From Our Friends” on your list, too.

Whew. I’m tired. The holidays are tiring. I hope you’re kicking back and relaxing today, and reading this from home. Perhaps you’re planning on doing some online shopping, or better yet – you’re planning for the New Year. Whatever you’ve decided to do, make sure you put “read this week’s From Our Friends” on your list, too.

This week’s post has a link to an article about materialistic kids, a tutorial on how to make handmade bows, a post about breastfeeding, a heartwarming story about an awesome police chief, and a post about running. Also: a shrub recipe and a post about how to approach winter.

1. Uh, oh. You very well may be the reason your kids are materialistic. Treehugger has all the info.

2. Sure, the holidays are over. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be wrapping another present in the coming year. (Darn you, birthdays). Crafting a Green World has some great tips on how to make handmade bows.

3. Hey, new moms. You may be able to drink when breastfeeding, but should you? Slate has some of the information about the situation, just in time for New Year.

4. Could this possibly be the best police chief ever? We think so. Get the story over at HooplaHa.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have already passed in their flurry of head-spinning discounts, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still score some major deals on holiday shopping.

And what better deal than the eco-satisfaction of purchasing an item bound for the landfill and reusing or repurposing it, especially if you can turn it into a one-of-a-kind gift for a loved one? Shopping secondhand makes your eco-conscience feel good, and it’s even better when you can get it for cheap. Am I right?

Get to surfing the Web for unique eco-holiday gifts with these websites, you thrifty thang.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have already passed in their flurry of head-spinning discounts, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still score some major deals on holiday shopping.

And what better deal than the eco-satisfaction of purchasing an item bound for the landfill and reusing or repurposing it, especially if you can turn it into a one-of-a-kind gift for a loved one? Shopping secondhand makes your eco-conscience feel good, and it’s even better when you can get it for cheap. Am I right?

Sit tight sister (or brother)! You don’t have to hit your local thrift store to find used goodies; you can do it right from your computer. These four websites offer similar items to those found at thrift stores, flea markets and antique malls—at comparable prices. And you don’t even have to leave your couch. (Hey. It’s ok to be a couch potato sometimes.)

Get to surfing the Web for unique eco-holiday gifts with these websites, you thrifty thang.

This nifty website offers all of its products for one price—free! Not too shabby, huh? On Freecycle, members can post unwanted items that they’d like to get rid of, or they can post wanted ads for items that they need. Items include everything from mattresses to baby clothes to electronics—anything people think someone else could reuse. If you’re crafty, this website is a great way to find materials to repurpose items into one-of-a-kind gifts.

The Freecycle philosophy aims to keep usable items out of landfills and promote generosity through giving. Trading isn’t allowed; it’s all about giving it away for free. Made up of local groups, with each group moderated by local volunteers, users search for items based on their areas.

This famous online marketplace is a giant. It boasts more than 97 million users worldwide, and in 2010 had sales of more than $2,000 every second. eBay’s sheer number of goods makes it a great place to shop around for bargains if you already know what gift you plan to buy.

If you’re in a green mood (and when aren’t you?), scour the website’s online auctions and buy-it-now listings for used, vintage or antique goods. You can also find new items at (typically) discounted prices. But why not go eco and buy secondhand stuff if you can? Many items such as dishes and home décor look just as good as their brand new counterparts.

Etsy allows its sellers to set up their own virtual shops, complete with customized banners and names. Unlike eBay, the website only sets items at one price, like a store. There’s no auction feature.

Etsy only allows sellers to offer vintage items, handmade goods or craft supplies. Because of these restrictions this website has some seriously beautiful items. From handmade jewelry to one-of-a-kind paintings to vintage purses, Etsy is the place to go when looking for gifts for the women in your life.

And you can feel good about buying from its sellers. Its vibrant community of artists and vintage sellers wouldn’t be able to showcase their work to such a wide audience without this website.

For all you eco freaks out there, ecofreek.com scours the Internet for listings for free items, swappable items or items available to trade. If you’re searching for gifts it could take some digging, so don’t wait until the last minute on this one. You can search by state and city.

You can also opt to have ecofreek.com send an alert to you by text message or email when the search engine locates items that you specify.

]]>http://www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/4-thrifty-websites-for-holiday-shopping.html/feed/0Really "Green" Holiday Wreathshttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/organic-living/really-green-holiday-wreaths/
http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/organic-living/really-green-holiday-wreaths/#commentsTue, 28 Nov 2006 17:40:59 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=304San Rafael, Calif.-based Organic Bouquet, the Internet’s first eco-florist, has introduced a large collection of decorative and culinary wreaths. More than a dozen selections are available, including:

The Pine Peace Wreath (18" in diameter), designed exclusively for Organic Bouquet, is a peace symbol handcrafted from organic Shore Pine needles gathered in the Pacific Northwest. A portion of profits will be donated to Adopt-a-Minefield, an organization that works with the United Nations to resolve the global landmine crisis.

The Snowflake Wreath (18"), made of fresh organic Shore Pine and accented with Douglas Fir pinecones, is a fragrant and whimsical wreath that stands out from the rest.

For the home chef, a Culinary Three Herb Wreath (12"), made of organic rosemary, thyme and bay leaves, accented with fresh chili, will add soulful spice to any gathering.

The Autumn Leaves Wreath (18") is an elegant wreath of preserved wild-crafted leaves, accented with wheat and acorns, in an inspired medley of burnt orange, ochre and soft brown hues.

The Organic Bay & Chili Wreath (16") and Bay & Chili Swag (16") are handcrafted using fresh, certified organic red chili and fragrant California Bay Laurel. Bay leaves are harvested in the late fall and early winter, when oil content is at its highest. Each item provides a year’s supply of culinary bay.

The Bay Leaf Garland (6’), a fragrant garland of certified organic culinary bay, can be draped over a mantle or down a banister, adding a festive touch for the holiday season.

]]>San Rafael, Calif.-based Organic Bouquet, the Internet’s first eco-florist, has introduced a large collection of decorative and culinary wreaths. More than a dozen selections are available, including:

The Pine Peace Wreath (18″ in diameter), designed exclusively for Organic Bouquet, is a peace symbol handcrafted from organic Shore Pine needles gathered in the Pacific Northwest. A portion of profits will be donated to Adopt-a-Minefield, an organization that works with the United Nations to resolve the global landmine crisis.

The Snowflake Wreath (18″), made of fresh organic Shore Pine and accented with Douglas Fir pinecones, is a fragrant and whimsical wreath that stands out from the rest.

For the home chef, a Culinary Three Herb Wreath (12″), made of organic rosemary, thyme and bay leaves, accented with fresh chili, will add soulful spice to any gathering.

The Autumn Leaves Wreath (18″) is an elegant wreath of preserved wild-crafted leaves, accented with wheat and acorns, in an inspired medley of burnt orange, ochre and soft brown hues.

The Organic Bay & Chili Wreath (16″) and Bay & Chili Swag (16″) are handcrafted using fresh, certified organic red chili and fragrant California Bay Laurel. Bay leaves are harvested in the late fall and early winter, when oil content is at its highest. Each item provides a year’s supply of culinary bay.

The Bay Leaf Garland (6’), a fragrant garland of certified organic culinary bay, can be draped over a mantle or down a banister, adding a festive touch for the holiday season.

]]>http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/organic-living/really-green-holiday-wreaths/feed/2Holiday Shopping, Organic Stylehttp://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/organic-living/holiday-shopping-organic-style/
http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/organic/organic-living/holiday-shopping-organic-style/#commentsFri, 24 Nov 2006 16:22:16 +0000http://www.organicauthority.com/blog/?p=302Today is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when Americans traditionally swarm malls on the busiest shopping day of the holiday season.

But this year may be quite different, according to Betsy B. Holloway, PhD, an assistant professor of marketing at Samford University School of Business in Birmingham, Alabama.

“I predict that we will see record-breaking online retailing sales this holiday season,” she says. “The nation’s retailers have learned some tough lessons in recent years and are well prepared for surging online sales in the fourth quarter of 2006. Look for especially surprising online sales growth in the increasingly relevant segments of ‘net kids’ and those 65 and older.”

“With more and more shoppers turning to online venues for better prices and more variety, the new image of Black Friday might not be crazy crowds and long lines in the retail store, but site crashes and server glitches as a result of the new crowds forming on the world wide web,” he says. “The advent of classified and auction buying is adding an even new wrinkle to the post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping phenomena, offering hard-to-find and/or creative gift options at a fraction of the cost for retail. This season’s holiday sales will most likely be in the green, but the demographics of where the shopping is done will change dramatically.”

I’ve joined the online shopping brigade in an effort to avoid mall mania. Here are some of the sites OrganicAuthority.com recommends:

]]>Today is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when Americans traditionally swarm malls on the busiest shopping day of the holiday season.

But this year may be quite different, according to Betsy B. Holloway, PhD, an assistant professor of marketing at Samford University School of Business in Birmingham, Alabama.

“I predict that we will see record-breaking online retailing sales this holiday season,” she says. “The nation’s retailers have learned some tough lessons in recent years and are well prepared for surging online sales in the fourth quarter of 2006. Look for especially surprising online sales growth in the increasingly relevant segments of ‘net kids’ and those 65 and older.”

“With more and more shoppers turning to online venues for better prices and more variety, the new image of Black Friday might not be crazy crowds and long lines in the retail store, but site crashes and server glitches as a result of the new crowds forming on the world wide web,” he says. “The advent of classified and auction buying is adding an even new wrinkle to the post-Thanksgiving holiday shopping phenomena, offering hard-to-find and/or creative gift options at a fraction of the cost for retail. This season’s holiday sales will most likely be in the green, but the demographics of where the shopping is done will change dramatically.”

I’ve joined the online shopping brigade in an effort to avoid mall mania. Here are some of the sites OrganicAuthority.com recommends: